Ohio State, Penn State can still claim Leaders trophy

Posted by John Taylor on September 5, 2012, 5:43 PM EDT

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Thanks to NCAA sanctions, neither Ohio State nor Penn State will be eligible for any type of postseason play — Big Ten championship game or a bowl — in 2012 and, in the latter’s case, the next three years as well.

As it turns out, however, the schools will indeed have something tangible to play for besides pride.

The Big Ten clarified today that, while both schools remain ineligible for postseason play this year, OSU and PSU will be eligible for official recognition as the Leaders champs should either win the division. If that were to happen, the school would receive the trophy recognizing it as the divisional champs.

Based on the season opener at least, the Nittany Lions likely won’t need to clear out any space in its trophy case, while the Buckeyes have the look of a team that could very well be in the thick of the divisional race throughout the season.

But, again, the chase for a trophy at least gives each school something tangible to work toward in what essentially amounts to a lost season postseason-wise.

Should either the Buckeyes or Nittany Lions win the Leaders division — or if both finish tied or one-two for that matter — the eligible team with the most wins will represent the Leaders division in the Big Ten championship game in December. In other words, Wisconsin can already book reservations for Indianapolis for three months from now — if they haven’t already.

this is disgraceful. just proves that jim delaney and co have absolutely lost touch with what’s proper for the good of the sport, and why the B1G conference will forever be multiple steps behind the times and public opinion. i’ll never again defend this conference against attacks from haters, because they deserve to be called out at every step.

monsterright says:Sep 5, 2012 11:39 PM

@datdangdrewdundunituhgin

Really? That’s what broke your spirit? If OSU and PSU games don’t count for anything, why play them? I assume this means you don’t think your team can win against these guys.

bigbuckeye76 says:Sep 6, 2012 7:49 AM

SAWEET…….Can’t wait to get my Leaders Championship gear…..or is it Legends……oh wait, I don’t really give a damn.

“If OSU and PSU games don’t count for anything, why play them? I assume this means you don’t think your team can win against these guys”

what part of punishment is lost on you and jim delaney? the programs are being punished for egregious violations. it’s not about “not counting” as much as it is about “not being rewarded”. and please, for you to try and make this about fandom and whether “my team” can beat either squad shows how narrow your argument is. this has nothing to do with bragging rights.

For you supporters of this decision, did you not see USC last year in the PAC12 South? They had the most wins, but were not the PAC12 South Champions due to their punishment. This is how it must be done. For @monsterright to say/ask “why play?” I respond with, why commit violations? If you can’t take the punishment, don’t commit the crime. USC was very bitter last year and their team went out and bought/made fake PAC12 South Champion shirts, but the PAC12 didn’t recognize them as such. Take lessons.

datdangdrewdundunituhgin I would like to point out this isn’t just a big ten decision USF is also eligible to win their conference as well even though they have a bowl ban for this year for recruiting violations.

i didn’t know that… these decisions are wrong. and just because someone else came up with the same choice doesn’t make it okay. i know it won’t matter to either the B1G or the Big East what i say but this is total crap. why are other schools potentially punished while the ones that are suspended being potentially rewarded? don’t tell me it’s about the kids because i’m not buying that for a second. this has to be more about boosters and/or the perception of “hey guys, look – everything is normal, no violators in our conference!”

what a farce.

monsterright says:Sep 6, 2012 8:37 PM

@datdangdrewdundunituhgin

You can ignore the results in the field against two hand cuffed teams if you lose. Just pretend it didn’t matter. We good?

monsterright says:Sep 6, 2012 8:38 PM

@datdangdrewdundunituhgin

You can ignore the results in the field against two hand cuffed teams if you lose. Just pretend it didn’t happen. We good?

@monsterright – and YOU can ignore the lameness of this decision all you want and continue to think i have some sort of attachment to a game result in order to compensate for your lack of awareness and/or ability to complete a thought that doesn’t end with “GO TEAM”

and since we’re being judgmental, i’ll assume you are of the OSU knuckle-dragging faction. because even the PSU fans can form a somewhat coherent thought.

dmvtransplant says:Sep 8, 2012 12:33 AM

I’d laugh so hard if tOSU won the division and watched every Wisconsin fan justify playing in the conference Championship game instead. Talk about taking a shine off of that Rose Bowl trip.